FOK (Friends of the Kaw)

'"I think the 'Friends of the Kaw (FOK)' stoping the United States Army Corps of Engineers (COE) from dredging the Kansas River from Lecompton to Lawrence in 1995 was a mistake.'" In support of that thought I point to the polluted contaminated water of the Kaw between Lawrence and Eudora. http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/Fis...sh-Safe-To-Eat

Friends of the Kaw (FOK) long term goals are to make and keep the Kansas River shadow enough that only canoes and kayaks can use it. FOK short term goals are to use fishing license money (that goes into the state general fund) to build concrete boat ramps every 10 miles. In support of this I have attached the minutes from the KDWP Commission Meeting March 15, 2007.

Redneck cc where are you. Page 2 and 3 also talk a lot about City of Topeka, Kaw access, Law.

Attached Files:

Ron I am not understanding the tie between pollution on the river & the stopping of dredging.

Also the amount of funds given for the ramps was pennies compared to the actual money it would would have taken to build them.
None of the information you have given shows any ones desire to keep the river shallow & keep it open SPECIFICALLY for just non motorized craft.

For more than 30 years I have fished, hunted,trapped & trashed numerous lower units & props running the waters of my favorite river here in our state.

I call the love I have for this river a hobby & great passion. My X called it a sickness.

Ron, I believe we both want exactly the same thing regarding the Kaw. It's that my experience with FOK did not reveal the motives you speak of.

After I complete my boat this year I will keep an open seat for you. I sincerely hope you can find time to come out with me. No one I have taken out for a ride or fishing has come away not having learned something or being very glad they did :beer:

i want to know why they came in and put the waterfall in right off 435 and woodend, seems like it will keep the fish from coming up river from the missouri.....so now besides when its flooded and fish move agains the current the fish between there and lawerance are pretty much stuck there....as for the dredging if i am not mistaken the sand bars that form in the river are being destroyed because of dredging in certian areas and those sandbars are important to wildlife, many birds use the exposed sandbars in the low water season to nest. but at the same time, some sand does need to come out of the rivers so i can keep a job, alot of the sand we get for our concrete comes from the river and i know that sand goes all over the midwest to be used for many things so as long as it is controled and not destroying the enviroment to much ( i say that because almost everything we do destroys the enviroment) i dont see the problem...course i am just a stupid truck driver that likes to fish.....lol

I don't know much about dredging and its effects on the fishing. I think most of what I've read say that it doesn't help the fishing or wildlife due to some of the reasons posted above. I do remember a few years ago several of us BOC members met with the Friends of the Kaw at Kaw Point when they were putting in the boat ramp there. I joined the organization, thinking they were another group of conservationists interested in making the kaw available to all citizens. the more involved I became the more I cam to believe they really aren't all that keen about cat fishermen or anyone else that doesn't use a canoe. I'm not knocking them and may be wrong about my perception. But I never was able to generate any enthusiasm from any of their leaders for catfishermans concerns. When they started a Friends of the Arkansas down here I didn't rush to join or help because of my experience with the Kaw group.

I think the decline of large catfish in the Kaw is due in large part by the lack of flood plain along the Kaw. It takes 2 entities to create a flood plain that catfish enjoy, clean water and flat land.

As the U.S. Corp of Eng. Built reservoirs in the tributaries to the Kaw the flow of water decreased in the Kaw, which resulted in smaller flood plains.

The same amount of polluted contaminants (from farms, Industry, etc.) continued to run off into the kaw which now has less water. Because there is less water flowing with the same amount of run off the water is more polluted and contaminated. As the water flows slower and with less volume pollution and contaminants begin to build on the riverbed.

If we begin dredging the Kaw the water will flow faster and begin (only begin) to do a better job carrying the pollution and contaminants off to the Missouri River. The FOK has stop all dredging between Lawrence and Lecompton.

Stop dams (weirs) stop more than water. They also stop pollution and contaminants that then settle on the riverbed above the weir. The FOK would like for the stop dams to be removed and/or keep the water level as low as possible.

I wonder what impact all this would have on the concrete boat ramps other than to make them only suitable for canoes and kayaks because the shore line moved so far?

If your not confused yet please go back and read the first post I made on this thread. Thanks, Ron

This will be my last post regarding this matter. Tom gave his reasons for being put off with Friends of the Kaw. No problem.
I don't care if you hate Friends of The Kaw. I don't really care much what any think regarding dredgers on the river. Id rather be fishing.

Ron I have issue with the things you continue to say with out backing them with any substantial facts.

You keep saying FOK's wishes are to keep the river shallow. Where is some thing more valid than what some environmental nut case in a canoe or kayak, claiming to be a member of FOK, may have said to you?
Now you are stating they wish to remove the wing dams. What? Where are you getting your info?
Me, I love wing dams. Especially the head & the tail out section of the scour hole they produce.
If you can come up with facts that back what your saying I do wish to see it.

I said it before I will say it again, FOK's leadership believes dredgers cause the river to become shallow.
This is what they teach & they give facts & studies to support their beliefs. They have a clip on there sight that demonstrates their beliefs, regarding on river mining causing a wider more shallow river. http://www.kansasriver.org/content/dredging_home

Have you ever talked with Mike Calwell?
He is the one who has been putting in a lot of effort getting these access points on the river. With out his efforts most all of the new access points since 02 would not be there.
When he first started on this in 02 there where only 3 usable ramps on the river. There are now 9 new ones because of this mans efforts. Mike has put in many hours regarding access for "ALL" on the river. There are more access points in the works for 2010.

I have known Mike for many years now. I consider him a very good friend. During this time I have never heard him utter a negative word about power boats or give any inclination, hoping or wanting to keep the river shallow or desiring to build ramps just for kayak & canoes or remove wing dams. If this was in any way part of what FOK is about I would know it!